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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22680016">Unknown Male #51</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes/pseuds/Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes'>Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, circus AU, if u can guess what disease jack has that lets him do this u get extra points, im adding tags as i go, javid - Freeform, sprace if u squint, takes place in 1918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:28:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,460</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22680016</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes/pseuds/Disloyal_Order_Of_Water_Buffaloes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 1918. The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus is a hit in the United States amidst World War 1. David Jacobs' family need money and he knows how to do that. Entertaining children and families was his specialty. He expects to miss his family (especially his little brother) but never expected to make a new one during work.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>David Jacobs/Jack Kelly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Lowkey I got the idea for this doing backstage for a show I'm working on and it's kinda loosely based off that/the real train wreck.<br/>Also this is short because I had to set stuff up. It'll pick up, I promise</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jack Kelly was a sight to be seen at the circus. He had an extraordinary ability to bend himself into impossible positions alongside his freakshow brothers and sisters. He joined when he was about fifteen, traveling with his new-found family ever since. </p><p>David Jacobs was a normal boy whose family needed money. His mother was raising his younger brother, trying to keep him in school. His sister had her own kid to worry about. Her husband and David’s father were serving in the Great War.</p><p>But David needed work to send home to his family. They wanted Leslie to stay in school. Sarah was working (mind you, just after having a baby) while their mother was staying home with the baby. But it wasn’t enough.</p><p>When the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was in Oneonta, New York, David took his chance. He’d saved up what money he could, took Leslie to see the magic tricks (which were his favorite, by the way), and found the ringleader after sending Les home.</p><p>“I want to join your circus.”</p><p>The man looked David up and down, noticing the tall boy was about 18, maybe 19. </p><p>“What’s your story?”</p><p>“Sorry?” David furrowed his eyebrows. </p><p>“Why? Everyone who joins the circus is running from something.”</p><p>“My family needs money,” he said quietly. “My sister’s working, her husband and my dad are in the military, my younger brother needs to get through school.”</p><p>“I’m only hiring Roustabouts,” he offered after a moment. When David opened his mouth, the Ringleader kept talking. “You put the tents up at dawn when we get to a city, tear them down at night before we leave.”</p><p>“I can do magic,” David offered quickly.</p><p>“So can lots’a people.”</p><p>“Card tricks, interactive with the audience, escape acts, you name it, I can do it,” he continued.</p><p>“Well, Houdini. Better not disappoint me, then. If you don’t live up to your word, you’re a Roustabout.”</p><p>With that the man was gone, motioning for David to follow him to where he could put his things on the train, get acquainted with everything, and meet the performers before they decided to head out to the next city.</p><p>It didn’t take long before people filed into the car where David looked a bit like a lost puppy.</p><p>A brown-haired boy who looked about the same age as himself stood in front of the set of bunks David was sitting on.</p><p>“Hi,” he gave a charming smile. “You just hired?”</p><p>“David Jacobs,” he nodded, reaching out to shake the guy’s hand. “I do magic.”</p><p>“Jack,” he responded and shook the hand. “I’m bendy, if you ever need it for an act.”</p><p>“I saw you perform today. You were really good,” he said, a little awestruck.</p><p>He particularly remembered when Jack laid on his stomach, put his arms up and behind him, grabbing his feet, and another pair of performers did all kinds of crazy stunts with him. He almost looked like a rag doll. </p><p>It also helped that he had been shirtless. </p><p>Anyway. </p><p>“Thanks,” he laughed a little. “I might take you up on that. Magic and contortion go well together. Is this your bunk?”</p><p>“Yeah, unless it’s taken, then I can move—“</p><p>“‘S okay,” he reassured. “I was just wondering who was below me.”</p><p>David was, in fact, on the bottom bunk. </p><p> </p><p>That night David had met the rest of the people in the same car as him while they traveled. </p><p>He couldn’t remember everyone’s names.  Spot, Racer, Morris and Oscar, Charlie, Albert, Elmer, Buttons… he couldn’t remember everything. He remembered Jack, though. </p><p>He’d never forget about Jack.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Running</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jack and David bonded pretty quickly. Soon enough, they had an act together. Life in the circus was actually going pretty well. It took him about one night and the feeling of exhaustion hit him to be able to sleep in a train car of performers packed like sardines with their lamps still providing them plenty of light. It was weird how quickly he could adapt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During their performances David would have one of the fellow sideshow “freaks” disappear and Jack would be in their place, skin stretchy and and bent in awkward angles. Kids loved it. They made extra money each night from people throwing their nickles at the pair, but David had plenty to send home to his family. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he and Jack realized after a few nights that they didn’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’d you run away from?” Jack asked from the bed opposite of David.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’d you run from? No one here joins for a stable career. We’re all running from something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” David paused. “I’m not really running from anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you said ‘I’m done with school, time for the circus’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, no--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what’re you running from?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David hesitated. “The truth isn’t very exciting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can make it up,” he shrugged and took a swig of a small bottle in his hand. “It’s what half the people here do. The luxury of no one knowing who you are or what you do is you can tell people whatever you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David wasn’t very good at lying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My family needs money to keep my brother in school,” he admitted. Jack gave a hum and took another drink before offering it over. David refused politely. “What about you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack narrowed his eyes for a moment before deciding he would tell the truth too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Family kicked me out. Didn’t like the fact that I was with my best friend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? If you were friends, that’s better than strangers, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They didn’t like the fact that he was a he.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” David hadn’t thought about that. “Does anyone here give you trouble?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah. First thing you gotta learn, Davey, is that no one here cares about anything. As long as you ain’t a shitty person, you’re fine. Don’t start shit, you’ll be part of the family.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Family?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. We’re all a big family. Care about and protect each other, y’know? We’re your family you get to choose.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David blinked. He hadn’t thought about that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, you getting all mushy about family again?” someone scoffed and walked up to the two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first thing David noticed was his eyepatch. Then the fact that he looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>young</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Maybe 13- or 14-years-old.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack just scoffed and waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, make fun of the old man,” he rolled his eyes. “Blink, I don’t think you’ve met Davey yet. Davey, this is my brother, Kid Blink. Blink, that’s Davey. He’s magic.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re magic?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> magic tricks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s magic!” Blink said with wide eyes to Jack before grinning and sitting next to his brother. “Nice to meet ya, Davey,” he finally gave a friendly smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You too,” he said politely. David got the sense that the pale kid with the eyepatch and dirty blond hair wasn't a blood relative of the much more tan, taller, and brown haired boy next to him. “What do you do for an act?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Flip around in the air. People think it’s freaky ‘cause I can only see outta one eye. Sometimes I force Jackie up there with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack visibly shivered at that. “Heights are… something else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re something else,” Blink retorted quickly. Jack responded by tackling him down and jabbing his side, causing Blink to cry out in laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>David smiled, watching them. But there was a pang of guilt and almost sadness that hit him. He was envious. Would he and Les still be that close when he returned home? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>God, that was a hard thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The laughter died down and Jack gave up once Blink threatened to pee on him, bringing David back to reality. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave them a smile and pulled back his blanket to lay in the bed. “I think I’m gonna get some sleep before we get into town tomorrow. ‘Specially if the ringleader doesn’t think my performance was good enough and I’m stuck with the roustabouts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Psh, your act was amazing,” Blink rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you weren’t moved to the front of the first car.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jack agreed, and David wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. He pieced it together after a while, noticing that the roustabouts slept at the back of the second car, the ringleader was at the front of the first car. The musicians were somewhere between. Where you fell between those was up to how good you were. These boys were situated near the front of the second car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, fellas. I should get some shut-eye, though. See you in the morning,” he offered them a smile before turning to face the wall closest to his bunk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was something about Jack Kelly that made David… he wasn’t sure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He just knew he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> grateful to have an act with him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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